Jean van der Poel


Jean van der Poel was a South African historian.

Education

van der Poel was born in Cape Town and studied at the University of Cape Town, completing her doctorate, on railways and customs policies, at the London School of Economics, for which she was awarded magnum cum laude and which won her the Royal Empire Society prize. Her doctorate studies were financed by the Donald Currie Memorial scholarship.

Career

In 1929 van der Poel returned to South Africa and declined a position at UCT as lecturer for a post as history teacher. She took a very important role in the South African Teacher’s Association. In 1938 she decided to move to UCT, where she became a senior lecturer in 1954 and was offered the King George V chair of history in the 1960s, which she declined. Jean van der Poel retired in 1969. She died on 3 August 1986.

Published works

Some works are: